


A Day Once Lonely

by CinnamonZor



Series: ShuHaru Week 2019 - A Fool for the Empress [4]
Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Akira is a Schemer, Birthday, Birthday Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Loneliness, Romantic Gestures, Surprises
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-01
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2020-02-15 17:31:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18674263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CinnamonZor/pseuds/CinnamonZor
Summary: Day 4 - Free SpaceHaru Okumura has been having a wonderful nineteenth birthday. Even so, there were two particular associates she had yet to hear from that day...





	A Day Once Lonely

Haru sat in the back of the Okumura family limo as it pulled away from the train station. The driver glanced back at her in the rearview mirror as she looked down at her phone. A small, sad frown formed on her face as she continued to watch the device. She didn't seem to be doing anything with it. She was just watching, as if waiting for something.

"You're turning nineteen today, right Okumura-san?" The driver asked her in a friendly tone. "How was your birthday?" Haru put her phone back into her purse and gave a small smile back.

"Oh, it was quite fun," she replied. "Thank you for asking, Date-san!" Admittedly, Haru was in fact having a decent birthday. Futaba ended up telling Sojiro about it so he'd let her have the day off from her internship at LeBlanc. Haru graciously accepted his offer and the two former Phantom Thieves spent the afternoon in Futaba's room playing murder mystery visual novels to celebrate. She even got celebratory voicemails from the rest of their friends.

Even so, there were two particular associates Haru had yet to hear from. Morgana got a pass because he was technically a cat, so he had to rely on Akira operating the phone for him. But Akira was the other who still had yet to contact her today. And this in particular was the cause of Haru's less than festive mood.

She pulled out her phone once more to see if there was anything new. Aside from a random notification from her weather app, nothing showed up on her lock screen. Haru sighed, swiped the notification away, and returned her phone to her purse again. She didn't get it. The two had been dating for a bit over a year now. Admittedly, Haru felt he had a bit of justification for forgetting since he'd been back in his hometown for a while now. Aside from their regular calls to each other, they hadn't actually spent time together since Akira returned shortly in August to spend summer vacation with everyone.

Still, Haru had even more of a right to be upset by his apparent absentmindedness. He was her boyfriend, after all. Even Mako-chan remembered, and she had her hands full with her intensive law and criminology courses. Haru felt bad comparing Akira to everyone else, but she was hoping for a text message at the very least. And yet, there was silence.

As the limo pulled through the gates around Okumura Estate, Haru tried to prevent her mood from souring by thinking back to all the fun things she did today. This was still the second best birthday she had since her father became consumed by his business. For the second time in a while, the 5th of December didn't serve as an extended period of loneliness for her. She was thankful to have such considerate friends.

However, this attempt quickly backfired, reminding Haru of last year's birthday, which she spent with Akira. It was the only year that seemed to top any of the ones she had otherwise. Remembering how much fun she had with him before only made her feel more upset that he seemed to forget this year.

She stepped out of the limo, bid farewell to Date-san, and entered the estate. Night had fallen by that point and the lights were off, leaving the massive halls dark where the moonlight didn't reach. It was ten at night, about an hour or so after the time Haru insisted the staff at the estate could leave work every day. She chose to leave the rest of the lights out so the house wouldn't feel as empty. She was quite adept at seeing in the dark anyway, so it didn't make mobility too difficult.

She knew it would probably only make her feel worse, but Haru decided to check her phone just one more time. And just like before, there was nothing new. Figures. It was ten at night. If Akira didn't do anything before this point, it was pretty pointless to think he'd just be waiting until now. She just didn't get it. Forgetting something like this was so unlike him.

She started to put her phone back when it suddenly buzzed in her hand. Haru looked at the message as quickly as she could, hoping it was from Akira. She was disappointed once more to find it was from Futaba instead.

 **Futaba:** HARU!! You're home, right?!?!  
**Haru:** Yes. Why?  
**Futaba:** OK. Long story short, I may have kinda sorta planted some small surveillance bugs in your house when you invited everyone over in August.

Haru would have written that off as a joke if it were anyone else. Futaba certainly had the means and personality to have done so by now. Even so, she was pretty dang surprised to hear this.

 **Haru:** What?! Why would you do that?!  
**Futaba:** I plant bugs in everyone's houses! Don't act so surprised!  
**Haru:** Why are you even telling me this?!  
**Futaba:** I was getting to that!  
**Futaba:** I wanted to see if you got home yet, so I checked the bugs & discovered a couple weirdos broke in & are currently stealing shit from the dining room!

Okay, this made too much sense not to be true. If Futaba really did have bugs planted in the house, which she probably did in hindsight, Haru couldn’t see her confirming their existence for a less dire reason.

 **Haru:** WHAT?!  
**Futaba:** I wanted to warn you so you'd either get out or arm yourself before they find you!  
**Haru:** Thank you for warning me, Futaba-chan! I forgive you for the bugs!  
**Haru:** For now, anyway.  
**Futaba:** Don't mention it!  
**Futaba:** No, seriously. Don't mention it to anyone else.  
**Futaba:** I don't wanna get busted any more than I have to. (T_T)  
**Futaba:** Anyway, good luck! Wreck their asses! \\(^w^)/

Haru placed her phone back in her bag and grabbed the small bottle of pepper spray from inside, sneaking upstairs to her room. Once she arrived, she snuck over to her balcony and grabbed the axe she kept there, turning around and sneaking back out to the hall. It took her a solid four minutes to make it all the way from her room to the dining room in the back corner of the first floor.

Tightly gripping the axe, Haru crept up on the large doors to the dining room. Her time as a Metaverse vigilante had come to an end almost a year ago, but she fortunately still retained her skills and physical capabilities thanks to her regular workout sessions. Taking down a couple of burglars would be nothing to Noir, the former berserker of the Phantom Thieves. She looked up at the arc-shaped window above the door. A faint orange light emanated from within the room. She heard the quiet sound of a chair being moved, confirming to her that there was indeed someone in the room.

Haru mentally entered combat mode and charged through the doors, holding the axe backward to ensure she didn’t kill anyone from at least her first strike, ready to annihilate those who dared break into her home. She let out a threatening holler fueled by bloodlust, quickly swinging the backward axe toward what she perceived to be the nearest person.

But there was only one person in the room: a black-haired teenager in a tie and glasses who yelped and reflexively stuck his arms out, grabbing Haru's axe mid-swing before it could knock the wind out of him. it still didn't stop the strike from pushing him backward into the small table set up in the middle of the room. Haru took a second to process the person's appearance before realizing who it was and stopping her attack.

"Wha-?!" She sputtered. "Akira?! You're the burglars?!" She was utterly perplexed, trying to figure out just what was going on. Specifically why her boyfriend randomly showed up in her house and… Wait… Why was that small table…?

"Burglars?!" Akira exclaimed. "Why would you think…?" He stopped mid-sentence, connecting the dots of what happened. "Oh, god dammit, Futaba! (sigh) I knew I shouldn't have trusted her to lure you here herself…"

"Wait," Haru interrupted, putting the pieces together herself, "So Futaba knew it was you in here? And she said you were a group of burglars to lure me into the dining room?" She let go of the axe, letting it tip onto the floor with a clunk. She leaned a bit to the side, trying to get a better look at the table she knocked Akira into. It looked like one of the two-seater tables from the expensive restaurants her father always used to drag her to for business meals. There were two neatly-set groups of plates, glasses, and silverware atop the white tablecloth with a candle centerpiece in the middle. Next to the table was a metal serving cart carrying a few different home-cooked meals and a small cake with intricately applied frosting.

"Is… Is this for…?" She could barely finish the sentence. She was so confused and pleasantly surprised at the same time. She started to blush, holding her hand up to her mouth.

"Your birthday?" Akira answered by finishing the question for her. His exasperation for Futaba's actions had mostly vanished by now, replaced with the warm smile he always had when he and Haru spent time together. "I know it sounds kinda selfish, but I really wanted to celebrate with you, so I thought I'd come back for the week and surprise you with a romantic dinner. I even had Futaba stall until I could finish preparing everything." He looked slightly downward and started fiddling with the end of his tie. "Admittedly, things probably could've gone a little better. Sorry if I worried y-"

Akira never got to finish his sentence before Haru lunged forward and gripped him in a tight bear hug, nearly knocking the wind out of him. His face ended up buried in the side of her floofy hair as she held him gladly with small tears in her eyes and a smile on her face. He promptly hugged her back, glad to see she apparently enjoyed his gesture.

"Thank you, Akira," she sniffled happily. "This is the best present I've ever received! I'm sorry for worrying you had forgotten!"

"No," he replied through her hair, "I should be the one apologizing. In hindsight, I probably should have at least texted you first so you knew I remembered. And maybe chosen a better assistant than Futaba."

"As much as I enjoy the others, I feel like this was the best case scenario," Haru responded gleefully. "I had fun with Futaba this afternoon. And the anticipation of fighting a burglar was quite exciting!"

"You have a point," Akira chuckled. "I actually asked Makoto first, but she was too busy. Ryuji was a hard 'no' considering he would have accidentally revealed the plan early. Possibly without prompting." He closed his eyes and leaned further into her hair, still continuing his process of elimination. "Yusuke would definitely barge in to insist on painting us and Ann would probably be pressing us for details for a solid month. Sojiro would have a goofy smile on his face all day that would be instantly suspicious so I didn’t even tell him I came back. That only left Futaba, and here we are. Ta-da."

"That does sound incredibly accurate," Haru giggled. She moved her head back from its perch on Akira's shoulder, looking him in the eyes with a concerned stare. "I am curious, though. Did Futaba really plant surveillance equipment in my house, or did she make them up for your plan?"

Akira paused for a second. "…Yeah, admittedly, I thought of that too." His mouth curled into the confidant smile he wore with his old Joker guise. "So I ended up bringing Morgana with me as a babysitter. If the li'l monkey-squid tries listening in on us, I gave him full permission to mess with her equipment until she changes her focus. Playing with the cables, walking on the keyboard, that kinda stuff."

"Wow." Haru leaned a bit closer to Akira. "You really did think of almost everything."

"Everything except the burglar thing," he replied, "but that was honestly kinda funny. Think of it as a new inside joke."

"Akira, are you aware that I admire your optimism?"

"Well, I did learn it from you." The two leaned in and shared a kiss. They pulled away after a few seconds, prompting Akira to momentarily step back from Haru and pull one of the chairs out from under the candlelit table. "Now, my beautiful Birthday Empress, your celebratory meal awaits."

"That sounds delightful," Haru cheerfully responded as she sat down. It had been far too long since she last tasted Akira's cooking. "This is already the best present I've ever received. And I haven't even eaten anything yet!"

"In that case, I hope I exceed your expectations," Akira chuckled, rolling the serving cart closer to Haru's seat. "Any starter requests?"

"Ooh! Is that LeBlanc-style curry?" Haru pointed toward one of the cooking pots. "I would like to request a large serving, please!"

The two dished up and sat together, eating the amazing food Akira prepared and catching up on the various things they didn't have the chance to discuss as fully while apart. They loved every moment of it. Especially Haru. About half an hour or so later, both former Phantom Thieves were completely stuffed.

"Everything was delicious," Haru stated approvingly as she wiped her mouth with her napkin. "My only regret is not being able to finish everything you prepared. I would gladly do so if I could."

"The secret ingredient is love," Akira joked cheerily. He then half-closed his eyes, resting a hand on his stomach. "Cringe-inducingly cheesy one-liners aside, though, I think I'm gonna be in a food coma for the next month."

"It may have been cheesy, but it was still cute," Haru giggled. "It's a shame though. We never even got to the cake. It looks like it took a while to decorate."

"Wasn't as long as you'd think," Akira replied. "I picked up a couple techniques from watching Yusuke paint that carry over pretty well to frosting. Plus, I got really good at crafting stuff while working as a Phantom Thief. Still took even longer than baking the thing, though."

"I suppose we could always save it for breakfast," Haru suggested. "I refuse to wait longer than I have to before eating any of it!"

"Ya know, you never struck me as the type to condone eating cake for breakfast." Akira stood and began to put the dirty dishes on the serving cart. "You somehow just surpassed yourself as the most perfect human being on the planet."

"Thank you," she cheerfully responded, "but I'm far from perfect. I appreciate your kind words, though."

"Aw," Akira chirped. "You're way too humble, you know that?" He walked back over to Haru and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

Before he could move away, Haru grabbed him by the ears and promptly pulled him into her lips. The two held the kiss for a solid minute before disengaging for air, a thin strand of saliva stretching between their lips. Haru stood up from her chair and gently wrapped her arms around Akira's torso, nuzzling her face against his right shoulder.

"You know," he said softly, gently hugging Haru back, "you are literally the only person I'd take zero issue with wiping spit on my good shirt."

"Aww," she cooed with her eyes half closed. "You figured me out. I suppose I should have expected as much." Haru trailed off and the two just stood there, serenely holding each other in the middle of the candlelit dining room. It was peaceful. Neither of them wanted to move and break their trance.

Until Haru slightly opened her eyes, spotting the axe she left lying on the floor from earlier. She thought nothing of it for a bit, but after a few seconds of mental gears turning, her eyes perked fully open and she ducked out of Akira's hug to grab it. He stumbled a bit from her sudden movement, quickly catching himself and perplexedly watching Haru scoop up the weapon.

"I have an idea," she chirped, answering her confused boyfriend before he could say anything. "Would you mind putting the candle out? For fire prevention purposes, of course." Akira trusted Haru enough to comply without saying a word. Though still a bit confused, he blew out the flame on the candle as Haru walked over to the large door to the hall, happily toting the axe as she walked.

"Thank you. I need to put this away and I would love it if you'd accompany me." She extended her right hand, waiting for Akira to join her. Ordinarily, he'd consider it a bad idea to blindly follow someone wielding a tool commonly used in movies to murder people. Especially considering her experience with it as a weapon. But in Haru's case, he decided to play along while subtly keeping on guard. It's not like she would be angry at him for what transpired before his surprise.

…Right?

Pushing those thoughts to the back of his mind, though still slightly holding on for safe keeping, Akira walked over to the smiling girl before him and took her hand, following along as she pulled him out of the dining room and through the extensive halls. They blissfully strolled through the estate for several minutes, with Haru pulling herself closer to snuggly hang off Akira's arm soon after they began their trek. After a bit, the two reached the entrance hall, where Haru guided them to turn and head up the house's large stairs. Another minute or so of walking later, she released her grip on Akira's arm and stood in front of a door at the end of the upper hall.

"We're here," she cheerfully announced. Haru opened the door and walked ahead with the axe. Akira stayed back to investigate from a small, yet comfortable distance, still slightly concerned for his wellbeing. Haru was almost definitely the sweetest girl he had ever met, but he was still fully aware of her less evident vicious side. It's not that he didn't trust his girlfriend not to cleave his head in two, he just felt it would be best to stay alert.

Surveying the area, Akira was mildly relieved to find it was a spacious, yet standard-looking room. The walls were painted a gentle shade of lavender, with a few paintings of flowers and framed posters adorning them. An intricate white vanity table sat near the back right corner next to a case of decorative china dishware, with a small tea table sitting in front of the immaculately clean sliding glass door. A white nightstand matching the style of the other furniture sat to the left of a neatly-made bed, on which was the large stuffed elephant that Akira won for Haru when everyone went to Destinyland over the summer.

After spotting the elephant, Akira quickly realized why this place gave him a sense of déjà vu: this was Haru's room. He had been here before with her and a few of the others during that weird dream that only he remembered where everyone had to dance for some reason. Pretty neat to have proof it actually happened, considering the sheer impossibility of dreaming the room this accurately without seeing it beforehand.

Haru grabbed an extra folded blanket off the dresser and slid the glass door open, stepping out onto the balcony. She tossed the axe to the side and started to shake the blanket open. Akira vaguely recalled that she kept the weapon in the garden out there, breathing a sigh of relief that she really was just putting it away. He finally entered the room and walked to the balcony himself, trying to theorize what she was planning.

As he stepped outside, the cold December breeze lightly blew through his hair. Haru was standing next to a padded lounge chair set up near the railing, looking over the moonlit scenery with the blanket draped over her shoulders. The Tokyo skyline was on the opposite side of the house, so the view from Haru's balcony contained what seemed like miles of undisturbed fields and trees both within and outside the fence surrounding the estate. Up above, numerous stars illuminated the night sky, hardly seeming disturbed by the countless lights of the nearby city. Even with all the amazing sights Akira had encountered in the Metaverse, the scene before him was by far one of the most captivating. He walked up behind Haru and rested his arms on her shoulders, gently hugging her as they marveled at the beautiful landscape.

"No wonder you were so adamant about coming here," he chuckled. "I can't believe you have access to this every day. Not gonna lie, I'm kinda jealous."

"I really do love this place," Haru replied softly. "I always come out here when I wish to take solace from whatever is causing me stress. It's so peaceful and relaxing." She stayed quiet for a few seconds, lifting her hands in front of her to grab Akira's. "I must admit, I had been hoping to show you for quite some time now. I'm glad I had the opportunity to share it with you today."

"Aww," Akira sighed, nuzzling the back of her head with his nose. "Knowing that you're happy just makes this even more fulfilling." Haru giggled and gripped his hands tighter, waiting till his face was stationary again to tilt her own upward. She couldn't exactly see him from this angle, but she mostly just wanted to make sure he heard her.

"Would you mind if we sat on the chair together?" she calmly inquired. "It's quite chilly out here and I was hoping we could share the blanket so neither of us catch cold." Admittedly, she had been fine-tuning that line in her head since she picked up the blanket in the first place, but Akira didn't have to know that.

"It shall be as the Birthday Empress commands," the black-haired boy proclaimed, cheerfully kissing Haru on the forehead. He removed his left hand from her grip, slowly spinning in front of her while she kept his right hand in her grasp. He gave a small bow and slightly held his left hand out toward the chair. "After you, Milady."

"My, such a gentleman," Haru played along with his act. "However, I insist that my noble emperor sits first. After all, I am in possession of the blanket, and it would be much easier to cuddle beneath it if added last." Akira let out a small laugh, impressed by how eloquently she managed to formulate her argument in just a few seconds. She really had been practicing her self-expression all this time.

"As you wish, Milady," he responded chivalrously. "Your judgment is superb as always." Akira kissed her hand and lay down on the lounge chair, scooting toward the farther side to make room. Haru happily followed suit by gently lying against Akira's side, being careful not to crush his arm, and draping the blanket over the two. She rested her head on Akira's left shoulder and put her arms around him as he pulled the blanket up, tucking it under both their chins. After making sure it was in place, he put his left arm around Haru, placing his hand on her left shoulder and pulling her close, while moving the other to softly hold her hands as they clasped together on his right shoulder.

The two lay in a cozy state of silence for several minutes, taking the time to enjoy the scenery before them, as well as each other's company. They didn't say anything for a while. Rather, they didn't need to. Just being there, snuggly holding each other, seemed to completely negate the void they would otherwise fill with conversation. They didn't need to say anything to remind them of the bond they shared. Their presence to each other was enough of a reminder that they had someone who would always be there for them.

Even so, the silence was once again broken several minutes later.

"Um, Aki-kun?" Haru quietly started to ask, lifting her head to look up at her boyfriend. "Is it okay if I ask for one more thing?"

"Sure thing," Akira muttered softly, gently smiling at the fluffy-haired girl beside him. "Ask away, Birthday Empress."

"I was, um," she stuttered, still a bit nervous to ask, "just thinking. About how Christmas is coming soon and all. And… and then I remembered last year. I remembered how we spent the evening together just before you turned yourself in."

"Again, I am _so_ sorry about that," Akira sighed, still disappointed in himself for what happened. "I should have told you the truth beforehand…"

"No, it's fine! Really!" Haru tightened her grip around Akira's torso. "I know you just didn't want me to worry! Believe me, I've moved far past that by now!" The look of concern on her face slowly turned to a subtle smile. "I was actually thinking about the time we spent together on Christmas Eve. And how much fun we had before everything happened. I believe I mentioned it before, but that was the first Christmas I truly enjoyed since my father became obsessed with his work. And… now that I know just how much joy I was missing out on during my lonely holidays, I don't ever want to go back to being alone."

"I think I can see where this is going," Akira mused with seemingly hopeful expectations. "If my hunch is right, then you don't need to try to convince me anymore. Go for it and ask." Haru took a deep breath, building a calm confidence she only seemed to have around him. She gave a warm, determined smile before opening her mouth again to speak.

"Akira," she boldly stated, "I would like to spend the holidays with you again this year. If you have no issue, would it be acceptable for me to visit later this month to celebrate?" Akira gave a soft grin and slightly rolled onto his left side, lightly pressing his forehead against Haru's before answering.

"Haru," he replied in a kind, yet unwavering tone, "I would love to spend the holidays with you as well. You are more than welcome to visit, and I will see to it that this Christmas tops all that came before it. Starting by ensuring neither of us get arrested this year." Haru giggled and hugged him even tighter, pressing her nose and chest against his.

"Thank you for everything, Aki-kun," she muttered warmly, staring into his soft, silver eyes. "I love you."

"Love you too, Harukuma," he responded, running his fingers through the curls of her hair. "Happy Birthday."

The fluffy-haired duo smiled tenderly at each other, closing the small gap between their lips once more. The clock on their phones turned to midnight, signifying the end of Haru's birthday. But they didn't notice or even care. They simply remained there, under the starlit sky, holding each other as close as possible. Refusing to let go, even as they drifted off to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Call me a sucker for Akira devising convoluted schemes, because I definitely am. I also may or may not have slipped in a nod to a favorite fan-series of mine from this site...
> 
> Edit: I just noticed this, but what is it with me having characters eat cake they never got around to for breakfast the next day?


End file.
